The most entertaining part of the summer of soccer, I admit, has been
Louis van Gaal's complaining.

From the moment van Gaal got off the plane in Los Angeles, he's let anyone who will listen to him know that
Manchester United's four-game tour of the United States -- five games if it advances to the final of the Guinness International Champions Cup in Miami -- was not his idea. If it wasn't the "dreadful"
travel between match venues, it was the local traffic he didn't like. United was staying at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel -- one of the most opulent hotels in the world -- but rather than waste time on
the LA freeways between sessions at the StubHub Center and return to Beverly Hills he booked 20 rooms at a nearby Holiday Inn so players could nap. The tone for the tour was set when he was late for
the pre-game press conference before the opening game against the Galaxy and he grumbled, "This is the first time I’m late for a press conference."

Somewhere along the line van Gaal
didn't get the message. This is what Manchester United does: tour the world. Chevrolet didn't pay $559 million to become the United jersey sponsor for the team to be holed up in some Alpine retreat
for a month. All I'll say is that I'd love to hear what van Gaal has to say next summer when United is on the fourth country of its Asian tour.

Van Gaal's complaining continued Saturday
in Denver. In his first 135 minutes as United manager, his new team had outscored its opponents, 10-0, and all he could do was complain about the second half, blaming the heat and altitude for the
poor United performance. Miralem Pjanicscored
from inside the Roma half, and van Gaal ripped young goalie Ben Amos, basically saying he, at almost 63 years old, would have stopped the shot. That's the Iron
Tulip for you.

What made van Gaal's comments so startling were they were so off-key. A dozen or so other European teams were crisscrossing North America, and you didn't hear much
complaining. Rudi Garcia, Roma's French coach, is a no-nonsense guy, but he knew the drill. Asked what he thought about all the traveling, Garcia said it wasn't
his place to complain. "If we play in such tournaments," he said, "it means we're a big club, so I hope we play in these matches for a long time to come."

Arsenal made its first trip to
the United States in a quarter of a century, and Arsene Wenger, whose preferred summer haunt is one of those Austrian hideaways, could not have been happier,
even if Arsenal was the only EPL club to lose to an MLS team, dropping a 1-0 decision to
the New York Red Bulls.

"For us, it was a great experience," he said after the game. "Everybody enjoyed it and nobody wants to go home. It was a short trip but a very exciting one because
New York is a special city. But what is even more special for us is how popular football is now. The values we stand for are shared here and everybody was very friendly and everybody respects what we
try to do. One of the values we have to stand up for as well is when your opponent is better than us, we have to say, 'Well done.' And today that was the case."

What has stood out about
this summer of soccer is how natural it all seems for these teams and players to be playing here and interacting in the soccer community. In the past, there was always a sense that these clubs were
carpetbaggers out to make a quick buck. No doubt money is the motivating factor. But there's a respect now that wasn't there before. Wenger was clearly touched to have Arsenal so welcomed in a soccer
city like New York. The U.S. performance at the 2014 World Cup has something to do with that respect. But so does all the work MLS has done to grow the game.

One of the comments that
stuck out came from Inter Milan's young Croatian Mateo Kovacic. "I understand the appeal of MLS now," he said. He was participating in a Twitter takeover Inter Milan organized Sunday morning. All the social media things that we take for
granted the European clubs are doing on tour -- Twitter takeovers, Google hangouts and the like -- they are learning from their MLS counterparts. Again, the respect factor.

One of the
sore points about touring European clubs has always been the perception they were capturing fans that MLS couldn't. That is now all but irrelevant. There are lots and lots of soccer fans out there and
they will watch whatever they want -- World Cup, MLS, EPL, even meaningless preseason games -- in whatever form they want -- on television or their smartphone, in stadium or at a public viewing event.
It shouldn't matter that MLS isn't the only option. All that's important is that it is one of the options.

Above all, one is struck by how much at home the touring players feel in the
United States. It really hit me, watching the "Football at Fenway" game between Liverpool and Roma on NBCSN. Long after the game ended, Rebecca Lowe and the
crew were still on the air, talking with Daniel Sturridge on their Fenway set. American viewers see Sturridge in their homes for nine months out of the year,
and he was in turn completely comfortable talking to them. On and on he went, talking about this and that, his role at Liverpool, how it changed from his days at Chelsea and Manchester City, nothing
special but entirely interesting. Lowe finally had to go a break to wrap up the evening, but Sturridge could have sat there all evening and talked with the NBCSN crew. And we'd have stayed up all
night and listened.

Hm. When did van Gaal ink his deal with ManUnited? If this prescheduled set of summertime preseason matches for the Man United squad is so unpalatable for LVG, why did he sign to get on board? Plus, he's about as experienced as any coach now in the world. He knows the deal. He cannot walk in and have it all his way. It hasn't been that way at any other club he's touched in the last 15 years, so why would it be with a top name EPL club? He's the coach - not the owner or business manager. By now he should have long figured out this is a business first and second. Somewhere down the line it is also sort of about sport. Won't ever happen that a big club won't tour in the offseason weeks. AND: He'd better tread lightly. I don't think he'll last more than one season at Man United at this rate. For one, he's not English. Two, he never played or did a thing for Man United prior to this present contract. He hasn't an ounce of clout yet. He's really showing himself to be a lout. And does he really think that a Man United, a club with perhaps the best marquee name on this globe, does he really think this club will just stay in Northwest England preparing for the next EPL season? Will never happen. The Man United players are always trotting all about the globe -- before the season, during the season, at the end of May/start of June EVERY year -- as the money men in Seville Row suits behind such grand clubs AND THE REQUIRED FINANCIAL NEEDS TO KEEP IT ALL AFLOAT will never subside. He can grouse all he wants about it. It cannot change when the club's operating budget will soon top nearly two billion per year if it hasn't already. If he does not like this, well, then coach at Groningen or in Delft, Den Haag, Haarlem, or in Deventer. I think some of the Red Devils faithful will be wishing that for him rather soon. So it seems.

G O

commented on: July 28, 2014 at 12:29 p.m.

Sorry. Typo. Savile Row. Mayfair. Central London. Yes, those suits guys. The ones who wear them run this game at the Man United level. Not the LVGs. That would only alter if LVG makes it past a 4th or 5th season if still in his present job.

Kent James

commented on: July 28, 2014 at 12:41 p.m.

If the players on these world class clubs are indeed comfortable in the US, and like the quality of the MLS teams they play (and their stadiums), this could be a tremendous hidden benefit for the MLS; getting top-quality players to come to MLS teams while they are still in their prime. Maybe not soon, but someday. Baby steps....

G O

commented on: July 28, 2014 at 12:43 p.m.

Mr. Kennedy, I do not wish to agree. Rather agree with most all of what you write above. However, please let me submit to you that the culture of soccer or football/futebol, futbol, etc. has been part of the United States since I was a small boy. Every city we lived in as we moved about had a NASL team and would see large crowds. The only thing that killed this off was the typically poor long term planning needed to carefuly steward the league to long term solvency, success, viability. These summer tours of big European and South American clubs have always occurred. And many teams and coaching staffs, etc. have greatly appreciated the warmth and hospitality they have found over and over in the USA and Canada. Ask the Germans who made Chicago their home during the 1994 World Cup or the Italians who were up in NY/NJ. Here's a tournament many have forgotten or weren't alive to know: The 1976 Bicentenial Cup. It can be looked up. Trust me, I think the hospitality then - and the respect of the visiting teams - was present also then. It was. Yes, in year 2014 it is now tweaked and fine tuned better. A guy like Arsene Wenger, a top coach to be sure, might just be now discovering this about a summer trip to a US city but dozens and dozens of those in his guild have known this already for over three decades. Ask the Belgians who were near Daytona as their base for the 1994 World Cup.

G O

commented on: July 28, 2014 at 12:46 p.m.

Opening sentence wording correction: "Mr. Kennedy, I do not wish to disagree." My apologies. I should proofread better before clicking on "Submit Comment." I am sorry.

Allan Lindh

commented on: July 28, 2014 at 2:15 p.m.

Such a nice positive column, and yes it's true that the fan base is deeper, more enthusiastic, and more knowledgeable. But how, and when, will this translate into 5 yr olds in their backyards and parks spending hours with a ball, teaching it to love their feet. Until that happens we will continue to have good athletes, with speed and enthusiasm -- courage even -- and no real touch on the ball, playing clunky soccer.

Mark Hardt

commented on: July 28, 2014 at 2:40 p.m.

we want to grow soccer in the US. the MLS will get their piece of the pie if they continue to get better.

ROBERT BOND

commented on: July 28, 2014 at 3:09 p.m.

would be a lovely place for the 2018 World Cup.....

I w Nowozeniuk

commented on: July 28, 2014 at 5:12 p.m.

MLS may be growing the game; but it is derelict in trying to improve the TV coverage, i.e., video, and commentary from the booth.